“As you wish, soldier.”

I finish my wall a little before midmorning. I’ve made good time through the night, and I decide I can afford some rest. I worry briefly about sleeping too long, but something tells me I won’t. A shady spot near a boulder seems as good a place as any, and I settle down. Closing my eyes is pure bliss. I doze for a while before I’m awoken by small scratchings next to me. I pry my eyes open. There’s a lizard sunning itself on a rock nearby, a big one.

My stomach growls.

Slowly, keeping my body entirely still except for my arm, I reach for it, one hair’s width at a time. The lizard blinks and pumps his head up and down. Finally, my hand hovers just behind it. Just a little bit more…I pounce. The lizard makes to bolt, but it’s too late, and I break his neck with a snap of my thumb. The creature is as long as my forearm. I waste no time making a small fire.

It’s the best roasted lizard I’ve ever had.

I eat every last edible portion of that creature, finally spitting out the bones when there’s absolutely nothing left. I could easily have had more, but this is enough to give me a jolt of energy, as well as some new ideas for feeding myself. I catch a few grasshoppers after that, collecting them as I go, and roast them when I have a full spit.

As the afternoon lengthens, I see the last checkpoint up ahead, a river crossing. There is a whole crowd of soldiers here, next to a single log serving as a bridge. My feet are killing me by now, and I double-check on the map that this is the end. Almost there, but the look of the last station worries me. Why are there so many soldiers here?

The scribe crosses me off and then tells me to cross the river. He’s eating a fruit that matches the ones on some bushes lining the bank. If he’s eating it, then it’s good enough for me. I pick one for myself and take a big bite. It’s amazing—sweet, juicy, and just a little bit tart. I eat two, and it’s enough to perk me up.